A heartbroken mother has paid tribute to her 'beautiful blue-eyed, blonde-haired princess' who died in a car crash alongside her stepmother. The pair were found dead after their car crashed into a dam on Queensland's Fraser Coast in Australia.
Arliyah James, 10, and her stepmother Lisa, 36, were killed when their car crashed into a dam on Springvale Road in Tinana South on Thursday afternoon. Her devastated mother, Sarah Gorman, has spoken out for the first time since the fatal collision.
Mother's tribute to her 'wild child'
Speaking to the Courier-Mail in Queensland, Ms Gorman described her daughter as "our wild child". She said: "The one who kept me on my toes and made all our hearts burst with love. Love you all the way below the fishes and all the way up, up above with the clouds where you now are our lil angel."
She added: "My heart will forever be missing it's beat my baby. I love you so much, I'm so sorry my baby."
Emergency response and discovery
Emergency services were called to Tinana South in rural Queensland just before 5.30pm on Thursday after being told a blue Subaru Tribeca had crashed into a dam. The pair were reportedly travelling to Maryborough to collect other children from school when their vehicle left the road, crashed through a fence and plunged into the dam. Lisa and the young girl were found inside the vehicle and had already died by the time first responders arrived.
Arliyah's father, Steve James, reportedly began searching for the pair after the school contacted him to say the children had not been collected. He discovered the vehicle upside down in the dam, with a nearby farmer rushing into the water to help rescue his daughter and partner.
Community reaction and investigation
Maryborough Patrol Group Inspector Paul Algie described the deaths as a "horrible tragedy" that had shaken the local community. "That property owner is a hero," he told 7News. "What he did was incredibly brave and incredibly traumatic, given that the lady's partner was right with him at the time."
Arliyah's relative, Summah Brakenridge, remembered the young girl as full of life and energy. "She was full of life, she was the most beautiful big smile, full of energy," she said. "Just an absolutely down-to-earth, beautiful little girl. That will never be forgotten."
Flowers have since been left near the dam in tribute to the pair. An investigation has been commenced by the Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit, and the circumstances leading up to the crash are still unknown. Police say they are investigating whether speed or driver inattention may have contributed to the crash. Any witnesses or people with dashcam or CCTV footage have been urged to contact police.
